Thursday, April 21, 2016

This is an awesome idea: given the large number of bike commuters and bike riders in general in the city, DC Government's Department of General Services has started to install self-service bike repair stations around town. Two of them are in our area: at the Banneker Rec Center and 2700 Georgia Avenue NW and at the Reeves Center at 14th and U.

The eight stations include an air pump and eight retractable tools. The city affirms their goal is not to replace bike shops but to make it easy for riders to do quick fixes during their trips.

Nice to see the city becoming more bike-friendly and, dare I say it, even innovative!

Here's their full press release:

The Department of General Service’s Sustainability and Energy division is making sure that
District bikers have access to all the tools needed to make their rides trouble-free. “We have purchased and
assembled eight bike repair stations,” and anticipate they will serve as a great tool for quick bike fixes for the city’s
many bike riders and commuters,” said Sustainability + Energy Associate Director Mark Chambers. “These stations
play an important role in highlighting DGS’ support for and commitment to the creation of a highly sustainable
district, especially as it relates to multimodal transit, “ he added.

The bike stations are equipped with an air pump and eight retractable tools. The Sustainability + Energy team did
thorough research about the locations where the stations would be best used and are most needed, consulting with
many experts on this topic. As a result, the team has coordinated the installation of the first eight stations at:
Banneker Recreation Center, Takoma Aquatic Center, Rosedale Recreation Center, Francis Gregory Library, Reeves
Center, Tenley Friendship Neighborhood Library, Penn Center and the Department of Employment Services, with the
installation of many more in the near future. The stations are not intended to replace the function of bike shops, but
rather work in conjunction to provide easily accessible tools for quick fixes in areas that may not be close to many
bike shops or areas that have yet to develop a strong biking support structure.

In the past week since being installed, DGS has already received positive feedback on the stations, observing that
they are already getting good use and having received requests to install more.

“If people feel like their environment supports their desire to bike, they are more likely to do so; and that’s a win for
our residents and for the District,” commented DGS Director Christopher Weaver.

THE DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES:The mission of the Department of General Services (DGS) is to elevate the quality of life for the District with superior
construction, first-rate maintenance and expert real estate management. By building and maintaining safe and green
state-of-the-art facilities which foster economic growth and elevate educational environments, our trusted and
skillful employees create modern and vibrant communities across all of the District of Columbia.